Psalm 150.
Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power.
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp.
4 with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
As I’ve traveled through the Psalms, I’ve become intrigued with all the different instruments mentioned throughout the book. Every family of instruments is mentioned. None are prohibited.
In the early days of our country, the Puritans refused any musical instruments. Their reason? It smacked of Catholicism, and they were fleeing from persecution at the hands of the Catholic heirarchy. Later, it was just considred worldly to have musical instruments in church. There are still groups today that deny the use of instruments.
Perhaps the most important instrument of praise is one we all have: The human voice. It is sometimes referred to as The Sacred Harp. I have an old copy of a hymnal by that name, and it has lots of musical explanation, and uses shaped notes. It was developed to teach people how to sing in four-part harmony.
In today’s psalm, the word praise shows up in every verse. I thought that made the word worth researching. According to Strong’s numbers, the word has more than one meaning. It can include boasting about one’s own accomplishments. The clearest sense, in this psalm, is to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise,
It also can indicate
- to shine (fig. of God’s favour)
- (Hiphil) to flash forth light
When we honor God, speaking of His wonderful works and His amazing love and grace, we are praising Him. When we behave in a righteous, humble, and godly manner, we are praising Him. When our words and deeds are a blessing to others, including our family members, we are praising Him.
What I’m learning is that it takes a lifetime to learn to become consistent in living in such a way that honor and praise are directed toward God, and God alone.
Linda's Bible Study 